1993:013 - NEWTOWN CASTLE, Newtown, Clare

NMI Burial Excavation Records

County: Clare Site name: NEWTOWN CASTLE, Newtown

Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 93E0089

Author: Diarmuid Lavelle

Site type: Castle - tower house

Period/Dating: Late Medieval (AD 1100-AD 1599)

ITM: E 521667m, N 706533m

Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.103618, -9.169785

An art college complex was planned for construction on the southern side of Newtown Castle. The excavation commenced on 16 June and finished on 23 June. Before the excavation the developer cleared the site of topsoil. The area had a thin soil cover and the digger had penetrated through 0.2m-0.3m to the boulder clay. The development also extended to the north of the castle where a car park is to be built. The site is situated on the south-east slope of a hill called Ceapaigh an Bhaile. The surrounding landscape is typical of the Burren with Karst, scrub and pasture.

The total area to be developed measures 125m north-south to 60m east-west. The castle is situated in the centre. The castle base measures 10.4m north-south by 10.7m east-west and is in fair to good condition. It has two circular domed vaults and a complete spiral staircase. Four gun loops protect the base batter corners, and many of its window mouldings and doors are intact.

Five trenches were dug across the site. Trial Trench 1 was 16.5m long and 1.5m wide. It varied in depth stepping down northwards from 0.4m to 2m because of the bedrock. This trench produced animal bone, teeth, flecks of charcoal, periwinkle, laser shell and oyster in large quantities. Much of this area had been disturbed and the 6" map shows an orchard on this spot. The other trenches to the south of the site were archaeologically sterile. A level of topsoil was left against the south base of the castle; its contexts were similar to TTI. A patch of cobble stones was found south-east of the castle; they consisted of an area 5m x 1m and were oriented east-west. They had been part of a larger area of cobbles now destroyed.

Several probes were dug to the east of the site along the direction designated for the sewage system. All turned up sterile except for Probe 4 situated outside the gate of the adjacent house. This probe produced a brown layer of shell and bone. This layer is similar to the brown layer found in Trial Trench 1 and the elevation of the south base of the castle; it measured up to 0.7m thick.

The excavation at Newtown Castle produced animal bone and shell in large quantities especially to the north of the site. The concentration of deposits could have been left by a village that gathered itself around the castle, thus the name "Newtown". No evidence of a village was uncovered as the area to the north of the castle was used as an orchard early this century. The faunal remains consist of cattle, sheep and pig, with cattle being the most prominent. Their diet was supplemented by the shellfish as shell and bone were found together. The references do not give any clear indication of a date for the castle but it probably dates to around the 16th century.

51 Rockfield Pk., Rahoon, Galway